Steam boiler



H. J. KERR STEAM BOILER Original Filed April 15 1925 17 K INVENTOR 2b 26 BY ATTORN EY H. J. KERR STEAM BOILER Nov. 4, 1930.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed April 15, 9

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IIIIIlllIflllIIl/I Patented Nov. 4, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOWARD J. KERR, F WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIG N OR TO THE BABCOCK 8c WILCOX COMPANY, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY STEAM BOILER Application filed April 15, 1925, Serial No. 23,177, Renewed March 29, 1930.

My present invention relates to steam boilers particularly of the type having horizontal water tubes connected by water chambers or headers to a steam and water drum. My invention will be best understood from the following description and the annexed drawings of an illustrative embodiment of my invention, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a typical form of boiler having my invention embodied therein; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section ofa portion of Fig. 1, showing some of the parts in detail; Flg. 3sis an end view and Fig. 1a section on the line of Fig. 3, of one of the details shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a modification.

Like reference characters indicate like parts in the several views.

In the boiler which I have chosen for purposes of illustration, there is provided a lower bank of tubes 10, and an upper bank of tubes 11 connected to downtake headers 12 by nipples 13 connected to a steam and Water drum 14:- The high ends of the tubes 11 and 12 are connected to uptake headers which, in

turn, are connected to the drum 11 in a man ner to be described more in detail hereinafter. In the illustrative form, the lower tubes .10 are exposed for substantially their length to the furnace, the longitudinal bafile 15 and the cross bafiies 16 and 17 directing the gases through three passes over the upper bank 11 to the gas outlet 18. a 4 It has been proposed heretofore to provide separate uptake water chambers for water tube boilers, butsuch constructions have involved ,difliculties both in the original construction and in the subsequent operation thereof, because, as is well understood, it is essential that access be hadto vboth ends of each water tube and when duplex water chambers are used, special constructions must be provided for this purpose. By the arrangement which I haveprovided, the ends of all of the water tubes are easily accessible from the exterior of the boiler, and, at the same time, the structureis a rigid. one and moreover one which is applicable to a horizontal water tube boiler. The lower bank of tubes 10 is connected to uptake headers 19 which are nippled by thenipples 20 to the uptake headers 21. If des1red,-the headers 21 and 19 may be formed as a continuous header, the nipples 20 connecting the headers 19 and 21 so as to be. the 7 equivalent of a continuous water chamber to the top of the boiler. The headers 19 and 21 constitute the main headers, because obviouslythe greatest amount of evaporation will take place in the bank of tubes 10, and, therefore, in the followingdescription and the appended claims, I refer to the uptake headers for the tubes 10 as the main uptake headers.

The upper ends of the tubesll are connected toan auxiliary uptake header 22 positioned toward the center. of the boiler and in the rear of the .main uptake headers. A pair of watercirculating tubes 23, 23 extend from the top of the main uptake headers to the drum 1 1. Similarly, a single water circulator 24 connects the upper part of the auxiliary header 22iwith the drum 1 1. Preferably I provide a greater number of circulators connected to the main headers than to the auxiliary headers because of the greater quantity of steam passing up through the main uptake headers, though the number may be varied, as desired.- I

Obviously, because of the position of the headers'22 in the rear of the main uptake headers, access to the upper ends of the tubes 11 would 'not be had unless special. provision were made for that purpose, and in Fig. 2 I have shown in enlarged section an arrangement to that end. Opposite each of the tubes of the bank 11 and also opposite the end of the circulator-M, I provide openings in the adjacentwalls of the headers 21 and 22 and expand therein a nipple 25 which servesto connect the headers so that they are,

ineffect, a single structure to have the desiredfstrength. Since the water and steam in the header 22 do not pass into the header 21, it is necessary to close these nipples, and this I have done by means of a closure 26 on the interior of the header 21, such closure.

being held in place by a me1nber27'atthe opposite end of the nipple 25 and bearing against the end thereof and connected pivotally to a bolt 28 extending through the nipple time, ready access may be had t 25 and provided with a nut 29 to draw the closure 26 and the member 27 against the opposite ends of the nipple 25. It will be obvious that by loosening the nut 29, the bolt 28 can be moved to the right in Fig. l and the member 27 then turned on the pivot 30 by which it is connected to the bolt 28, so that it may then be withdrawn through the nipple 25 to the left in Fig, i. .Vhen the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 4, it is obvious that the closure 26 will be held firmly against the seat formed by the end of the nipple 25, and that the closure 26 may be removed from the nipple 25 as described above.

In alignment with the holes in the two ad: jacent faces of the headers 21 and 22, l provide a handhole, large enough to enable the withdrawal of the closure 26, such handhole being closed by the usual internal closure 31 held to its seat by the usual bolts 32 and the member 33 contacting with the exterior of the header. The closure 31 may be made of the usual oval form, so that the closure 31 a may be withdrawn through the opening in the header 21.

With the arrangement described, the closures 26 and 31 may be removed so that access may be had to the tubes 11 or 24 with which they are associated. At the same time, the two headers 21 and will be held in rigid relative position without permitting steam to flow from one to the other.

In modification shown in u ig. 5, l have shown the auxiliary header 22 as forming an integral part of the header 21, the circulators 28 extending through the exterior wall of the header 22 and the common wall between these two headers to connect with the header 21. he circula or 24c and the tubes 11 extend into the exterior wall of the header 22 as before, and the common wall 34 is provided with an opening opposite each of these tubes and closed by a closure 35 held to its seat by a bolt 3-5, nut 37 and member 88 pivoted at 39 to the bolt 36. By loosening the nut 37 the member 39 may be turned on its pivot and withdrawn through the opening in the wall 34. The header 21 is provided with handholeopenings and closures therefor, as described in connection with F 2. In the form shown in Fig. 5, it will be obvious that the auxiliary header 21 is rigidly connected tothe ma n uptake headers, and, at the same the ends of the tubes connected with the headers 22 By the arrangement which I have described, multiple uptake headers may be used without interfering with the usual rigidity of the boiler, especially when it is suspended from above, as is usually done, since the main uptake headers extend to the top ofthe boiler and will provide the necessary resistance against the turning of the uptake headers to the right in Fig. 1 around the point of support and in this respect are superior to long nipples extending from the top of the headers 19 to the top of the boiler, as has heretofore been proposed. Moreover, by extending the main uptake headers to the top of; the boiler, a convenient means for con necting the circulators 23 to these main uptake headers is provided.

I claim:

1. A steam boiler'having a steam an d water drum, substantially horizontal water tubes divided into a plurality of banks, a downtake water chamber connected to one end of said tubes and to said drum, a main uptake Water chamber connected to. the bank of tubes nearest the furnace, tubes connecting the upper end of said main uptake chamber with said drum, an auxiliary uptake water chamber connected to the tubes of an upper bank, tubes connecting the upper end of said auxiliary uptake chamber with saic drum, said auxiliary uptake chamber being substantially parallel with the upper part of said main uptake chamber and separated therefrom and disposed in the rear thereof, the upper part of said main uptake chamber and said auxiliary uptake chamber having openings in'the walls thereof in alignment with each other and Opposite each of the tubes connected, to said second auxiliary chamber, whereby access to the interior of each tube may be. had from the exterior of the boiler, nip ales extendingthrough said openings and connecting said main and auxiliary chambers, and closures for said openings.

2. A steam boiler having a steam and water drum, substantially horizontal water tubes divided into a plurality of banks. downtake headers connected to one end of said tubes and to said drum, main uptake headers connected to the bank of tubes nearest the furnace, tubes connecting the upper part of said main uptake headers and said drum, auxiliary uptake headers connected to the tubes of an upper bank, tubes connecting the upper end of said auxiliary headers with said drum, said auxiliary headers being substantially parallel with the upper part of said main headers, and separated therefrom and disposed in the rear thereof, each main header and'the auxiliary header in the rear thereof having openings in the walls thereof in alignment with each other and opposite each tube connected to the auxiliary header, nipples extending through said openings be tween the main and auxiliary headers, and closures for said openings.

3. In a steam boiler of the horizontalwater tube type, a plurality of banks of tubes, a set of uptake headers for the tubes of an upper bank, a set of separate uptake head ore for the tubes of the lower bank, said sets of headers having portionsopposite each other, and having. openings in the walls thereof in alignment with each other and op- LID , posite the water tubes of the upper bank,

whereby access to the tubes may be had through both headers and closures for said i openings.

4. In a steam boiler of the horizontal water tube type, a plurality of banks of tubes, a set of uptake headers for the tubes of an upper bank, a set of uptake headers for the tubes ofthe lower bank, said sets of headers having portions opposite each other, and having openings in the walls thereof in alignment with each other and opposite the water tubes of the upper bank, whereby access to the tubes may be had through both headers, nipples extending through the adjacent walls of said sets of headers and connecting each header in one set with a header in the other set, and closures for said nipples and for the openings in the exterior wall of the outer header.

5. In a steam boiler of the horizontal water tube type, a plurality of banks of tubes, a set of uptake headers for the tubes of an upper bank, a set of uptake headers for the 6 tubes of the lower bank, said sets of headers having portions opposite each other, and having openings in the walls thereof in alignment with each other and opposite the water tubes of the upper bank, whereby access to the tubes may be had through both headers, nipples extending through the adj acentwalls of said sets of headers and connecting each and arranged to be drawn through said opening when drawn on its pivot, and a closure for the opening in the outer wall of said outer header. r

8. In a steam boiler, a pair of parallel headers defining separate chambers, a tube secured in an opening in the inner wall of the inner header of said pair, a tube secured in an opening in the inner wall of the outer header of said pair, openings in the remaining walls of said headers opposite the end of said first-named tube, closures for each of said openings, an opening in the outer wall of said outer header opposite the second named tube, and a closure for said last-named opening.

9. In a steam boiler, upper and lower banks of horizontally inclined tubes, inner and outer uptake headers substantially parallel to each other, the tubes in said lower bank being connected directly to the outer header and those in the upper bank being connected to the inner header, nipples connecting said headers in line with the tube holes in the inner header, a steam and water drum, independent connections from said headers to said drum, handholes in the outer header in line with said nipples, and closures for said nipples and for said handholes.

- HOWARD J. KERR.

header in one set with a header in the other set, and closures for said nipples and for the openings in the exterior wall of the outer header, each of said closures for said nipples being seated on the end of a nipple in the interior of an outer header and held in closed position by contact of a portion thereof with the inner end of said nipples.

6. In a steam boiler, a pair of physically distinct parallel headers defining separate chambers, a tube expanded into-the inner wall of the inner header of said pair, openings-in the remaining walls of said headers opposite the end of said tube, a nipple secured in one of the openings of a wall of one of said headers and in the opening of the adj acent wall of the other header, a closure for said nipple, and a closure for the opening in the outerwall of said outer header.

7. In a steam boiler, a pair of physically distinct parallel headers defining separate chambers, a tube expanded into the inner wall of the inner header of said pair,'openings in theremaining walls of said headers opposite the end of said tube, a nipple secured in one of the openings of a wall of one of said headers and in the opening of the adjacent wall of the other header, a closure extendingacrossthe opening at one end of said nipple, a member extending across the other end of said nipple, a bolt connecting said closure and said member, said member being pivoted on said bolt and constructed 

